What are diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace?

What is DEIB? DEIB, meaning diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, is usually noted in a diversity statement inside the employee handbook or on the company website. However, more and more employees – and customers – prioritize DEIB when searching for organizations to join or support.

In a recent article by the Society for Human Resources Management, Joan Williams, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings, said, "DEI used to be considered a nice-to-have, but now it's considered a must-have.”

According to a recent Glassdoor survey, two out of three potential employees are actively searching for DEIB when considering employment with a new company.

Using your mission and vision statements to mention DEIB is one thing, but living out those values in practice is what counts. You can expect your company to become more engaged and empathetic when diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are elevated in the workplace.

A report by McKinsey says corporations that identify as more diverse and inclusive are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors.

Additionally, when you value DEIB, meaning embracing diversity, promoting equity, and creating safe, inclusive environments where people feel like they belong, you remove hindrances, enabling individuals to reach their full potential.

DEIB, Meaning: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging

Since every person comes from a different background with unique experiences and worldviews, it makes sense that everyone has different skills, outlooks, and intuitions. People have a wide range of ideas and perspectives that make for a well-rounded team coming together to develop more innovative and creative ideas.

Let’s break down the DEIB meaning further.

Diversity

Diversity is about welcoming a variety of people with different backgrounds and viewpoints. Diversity incorporates:

• Race
• Ethnicity/nationality
• Gender
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Religious beliefs
• Military/veteran status
• Disabilities and abilities
• Other identities

A diverse workplace gives your company access to a greater range of talent. It provides you with the insight your company needs to get into the minds of your entire customer base, not just the ones you can relate to.

Referring back to that McKinsey report, hiring diverse employees makes your company more effective and successful, thus making you more profitable.

Equity

Equity in the workplace is about your company having fair and equal access, advancements, and opportunities to guarantee all employees have what they need to grow and succeed regardless of their backgrounds.

For example, if an employee has a disability, an equitable workplace will have accessible resources available to help that employee be successful. Equity should directly reflect justice, fairness, and objectivity within your company’s processes and procedures.

Inclusion

Inclusion is the celebration of differences and letting individuals be seen, heard, and accepted. Employees want to feel valued, respected, and treated fairly. They want to feel comfortable being their authentic selves despite their differences.

Gartner Research reports that inclusive teams perform 30% better. Inclusive behaviors and practices are vital to your culture—and success.

Belonging

​​Belonging centers on feelings of being welcomed and accepted. Cultivating these feelings in the workplace is an integral part of creating value and trust amongst your employees. Belonging is the emotional goal of your DEIB efforts. When DEIB is at the forefront of your operations, a sense of belonging becomes a natural part of the culture.

How to put DEIB at the forefront of your organization

Simply hiring a diverse team isn’t enough. While your organization may appear to have a culture of acceptance and compassion, your employees need tofeel that they’re valuable and essential, or they’re likely to look for employment elsewhere.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training

Getting your organization and workforce up to speed on your DEIB practices can be challenging. One way is to prioritize DEIB during the hiring process. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training begins with your talent acquisition team and new hires.

Train your recruiters to be aware of their biases and how to look for diverse candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training should also be a part of your onboarding and continuous development programs.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are another great way to put DEIB at the forefront of your operations. ERGs have been around since the 1970s. However, according to McKinsey and Leanin.org, since 2020, around 35% of companies have expanded these groups.

Before this shift, most ERGs were for maybe one or two specific ethnicities. Now ERGs have expanded to include a wider range of nationalities, women, LGBTQ, military veterans, people with disabilities, and more.

For these groups to be effective, they must be prioritized by your entire organization from the top down. Watching leadership participate, engage, and leverage these groups in aiding the organization's overall DEIB goals can go a long way with your employees.

Implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training with Unboxed

Now that you understand the breakdown and importance of DEIB’s meaning, you recognize how crucial diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are to the success of your organization.

The Nova Collective and Unboxed Training and Technology have teamed up to help organizations like yours transform their culture and achieve meaningful change through powerful eLearning content. When you implement DEIB training, your organization can expect to:

• Better recognize and address hidden biases
• Eliminate unfair hiring practices
• Build a safe workplace with an accepting culture
• Become a desirable employer and company

However, training is only one part of the larger DEIB puzzle. Organizations must combine DEI training with other initiatives for more meaningful change, such as ERGs and mentorship programs.

Our Spoke® Learning Management System (LMS) at Unboxed Training & Technology does more than house your company’s content and training materials. Spoke® integrates individual and collaborative learning with practice. As a result, our custom and turn-key content is engaging, impactful, and can be customized to meet the goals of your DEIB initiatives.

At Unboxed, we believe effective learning experiences start with establishing the behaviors you want to change and problems you want to solve. Spoke® allows you to identify learner strengths and opportunities for growth, allowing your organization to track your diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training progress.

Contact us today and see how our DEIB training program can truly make a difference for your employees and organization.